Chapter 81: Protect You
(Author's POV)
"It's fine," Caroline said, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her smile was faint, barely reaching her eyes. "I've survived much darker moments than a heckler in a cheap suit."
Sebastian went rigid. He knew exactly which moments she was referring to. The two years of cold hell she endured in the Ashford house. The neglect. The emotional freezer she had lived in while waiting for a man who never came home.
His hand curled into a tight fist at his side. Inside, he cursed Dominic Ashford to hell and back.
He took a deep breath to steady his voice, trying to push down the surge of anger.
"From now on, I've got your back," Sebastian said. His tone was firm, a vow rather than a statement.
Caroline didn't tear up. She didn't look fo
